Tickle, Tickle

Hello All, Sorry it has taken a few days to get this posted.  We had some technical difficulties with permissions and the like…Sometimes living in a yurt has its snafus.  We hope you are all well!

As I write this, I’m wrapping up one of those days that felt like it would never end…and not in a good way! It’s a shame when these days come along, but they do. It’s not that anything especially bad happened—it was just little thing, after little thing, after little thing. I mostly felt incompetent. Just a few minutes ago, however, I couldn’t help but break into uncontrollable laughter.

Okay…how could you not tickle this adorable baby?

This picture is fun–Moki and her friend Cider. It is also the only picture I’ve taken in the past two weeks that doesn’t have Ava. I should work on that…but it’s hard, she’s photogenic!

Did something especially hilarious happen? No, and if it had I probably would have put on a good grumpy show and not laughed (just to keep up my grouch factor). In fact, I was attacked by two tickle monsters!   I am INCREDIBLY ticklish, and the laughs erupted from me without restraint.

Have you been tickled recently? Tickling becomes something we rarely experience after childhood. I both love and hate being tickled. For one, I am forced to laugh. There is no escaping it. However, it also leaves me feeling nearly incapacitated. Good thing I didn’t have to use the bathroom!

Ava is totally interested in diapers right now–both cloth and disposible. She was very excited after I put a diaper on over her pants. Silly girl!

It turns out little Ava is pretty ticklish, too. In fact, her first non- “mama” or “dada” word is “tickle.”  How cute is that?! She exclaimed a cute little “tigo” while we were tickling her dolly a few days ago. When she hears the word “tickle” she makes little tickling motions with her fingers. Over the last few days she has started lying down on the ground and waiting for us to come tickle her. What a fantastic first word.

I know I’m a bit late to the party (to be fair, I’m a bit late to nearly every party I’ve ever been to), but I’m going to follow the lead of a few other Farmgirl sisters and pick “tickle”as my 2015 word.

Woohoo! Figuring out how tissues come out of the box tickles Ava’s curiosity!

I can’t think of anything negative when I hear, say or read the word. The sound of it is almost an onomatopoeia–if our fingers made a noise while tickling it would would be “tickle,” right? It makes you want to wiggle your fingers. Some of the synonyms of tickle are: amuse, please, delight, and enchant. These are excellent words, too!

These two cuties tickle my ticker!

I’m guilty of stressing out over little things, which helps explain my grouchiness today. I’m also sometimes guilty of being too judgmental, reactionary, and critical among others; aren’t we all? This word is none of these—it is light-hearted, happy, and non-discriminating. It seeks out the sad, the lonely, and the grouchy. It blindly attacks that which makes us unhappy.

Something tickles us when—even in the face of a terrible, no good, very bad day—it makes us forget it, even if just for a split second. It forces us to relish something silly, beautiful or extraordinary.

We got to watch “A Prairie Home Companion” with my dad and stepmom (kind of–through the help of technology!) the other day. What fun.

I am tickled by many things: puppies in the grass, the voice of an old friend, a good line of poetry, the first seedlings of spring, a kiss on the cheek after a long day of work, a nice soak in a warm tub, chocolate, awkward encounters, a friendly wave from behind a steering wheel, new socks, a smile from a stranger, and happy news from people I love. However, I want to move beyond what tickles me—how can I metaphorically tickle those around me? How can I help tickle the world?

This little lady knows how to make light of a situation. I think she’s playing Mother Theresa here…

I’m not quite sure how to do this yet, but I know it has to do with lightening over-serious moods and helping others see the magic in commonplace things. Sometimes we have to get over ourselves, and a good way to do that is with a good tickle! I guess I have the better part of a year to figure it out. I think I should begin with some Valentine’s cards and wishes to the ones I love the most.

A chubby cheeked baby eating from chopsticks for the first time. You’re Welcome.

Finally, here is a good tickle-themed farming/gardening/is spring here yet? quote: “Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.”~ Douglas Jerrold

What tickles you? Share with us!

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine’s Day!

Until Next Time,

Sending you Peace and Love from Alaska,

Alex, The Rural Farmgirl